St. Landry democrat., 1887-04-09
MARRIAGE IN CHINA,
LIES FLOWER, LOVE, AZ FOUND IN THE
FLOWERY KINGDOM

|
"a Chinese love-letter. Have | an,
o!dfashioned Chinese love letters il
my trunk: Have | gilt-edged Chi
nese billet dOux with q monogram Xix,
a crows track: There was never ;
love letter written in Chinese. No Chi
nese maiden ever penued a billet dou,
or cent valentine"
Rather sadly was this said by q ro
mantle young Chinaman, Mr.. Hons
Wing. who is noted among the Chinese
for the skill with whicl, he plays Oh the
mandolin.
"In China" continued he, "a mar
never sees his wife until he is welded
! to her fn, life, and sometimes he does
not see Der then, for she may refuse tt
! remove her veil until three days have
elapsed after the wedding. If he
doesn't like her he can not get divorce
tint he may marry another wife, and
then another and another, until he has
gone through the blindtnld lottery Of
ten enough to get one that suits him
Som" of these Chinese Clususps have
hundreds of wives. There was an old
bachelor who took it into his head tc
get married one winter, aud he married
200 wives before he got through. The
last wife is the favorite, but the fist
enc il the boss"
If man never sees his wife before
their wedding, how does he make love
to hrre'
" He doesn't make love to her. His
mother arrahgc~ the match, and bis
future mathematics makes love to
him. 1t is sour cOHrtship. Children
are formal ~ engaged to other children
that they have never seen, at the ten
der age Of nine OF ten, and after an en-
Sagemcnt of ten or twelve years they
get married."
Does a Cinnamon ever marry his
cousin g.
No: a marriage of cousins was
never heard of in China. a man may
no more marry his cousin in China than
IN England Il man may marry his de-
ceased wife's sister. Yum talk about
your old families here, and your oldest
families are only five generations old.
In China families are srveuty-tivc and
EIGHTY generations old, and every
member has Il complete record of his
ancestors for all these generations
The rcmotrSt kinShip prevents mar
fIagrs in China, and if two families
hay" the faintest imaginable kinship
seventy five generations back their
can not marry
" nat are the post common faml-
lies III Your country? p
THE Ch+nS. the Wongs and the
Lies. The ChenS are the Smiths of
China the Wongs are the jones. and
the Lees are the Browns A Mr. Chen
" nui,i marry a Mss Wong, but he
wouldn't harry a Miss Chen. Perhaps
that is the reason why the old folks
make the matches. 1t prevents the
Cheus from falling in love with one.
another"
" Are the Chinese ladies cultivated ?"
"0h, yes; they can read and WRITE
draw, paint and embroider. They
never go ont on the street with theif
husbands. If a Chinese man and wn-
man were to walk on the street arm in
arm in their country as American men
aud women do they would he mohhed
The women stay indoors. If they wish
% visit their mothers they take convey
,ncrs. Sometimes they may he seen
in the park with their chill
iren
You are married."
yes"
To IA Chinese lady -
No: to an American. | came to I
his country when u boy II years old. |
Though ! was 5000 miles from China, |
ny mother httrothed me to a little |
chinese girl had never seen. My
bother used to write to me how small |
Ter feet were and how pretty she was, |
nd what beautiful, cat-likc nose she |
lad. When was 90 yeart old mother |
ent me IA letter saying was old enough /.
o get married, and must come back to !
nina and marry the girl
"What did you think about it p
/" | thought | was old enough, and 80 |
ell heels over cue in love with an |
american girl in Nevada, and married /
er. We had our pictures taken and |
ent ono to my mother together with an
of the wedding, which trans
ated from an American newspaper into
binese."
What happened -
{" The next thing | knew my uncle
nd four cousins came OH to the United
tates and had me arrested for bigamy.
was taken before IA court and tried
" uncle went 90 the stand and sWurc
lat | had y wife in China.
hat did Won do then -
4" Thought | was in box. rs YOU
americans say. The judge asked the
illness how old | was when | left Chi
1. They replied that my mother bad
cked her out for me, and tiat, in
hinese law, was the same as marriage.
he Judge said that they didn't have !
~ Chinese statutes in this country. t
Id nv uncle innOcentiy replied that I
, won'd send to China for some. .
verybody III the court room jauglied,
I'd, as | lived III the town ever since |
me to America, ali knew that | had !;
IT China Il little boy. SO the jury ac- t
lifted me. NV uncle told the indpe
at he would I've >heheadctl when he :,
to China, which was Il mon ~
'ous flo with which he intended to
are the judge. | have never been Y
elk to China, and suppose the little I
n, whom never saw, is grass wi
". Poor child
A Sound Legal Opinion.